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Ryllandaras
Ryllandaras was both a SoletakenHouse of Chains, Chapter 14 and a D'ivers,House of Chains, Chapter 14, US SFBC p.502-503 also known as The White Jackal, The White Jackal of Winter, and Quon's Curse.Deadhouse Gates, Dramatis Personae, UK MMPB p.17Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 1 Chapter 3, US HC p.137 Ryllandaras' Soletaken form was two times a man's height when on all fours, and three when fully standing.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 3, Chapter 5 He was covered with sandy-yellow fur which became creamy white towards his throat and chest. Dark streaks of grey and dirty yellow ran down his back. He had heavy arms, and muscle-knotted wiry, unnaturally long limbs which ended in fingers having amber claws the length of fighting knives. His blackened muzzle was long and black, his lips twisted by his enormous canine teeth. His eyes were a dark carmine. Ryllandaras could speak a growled, distorted form of Talian and showed high intelligence even if he was in other animalistic forms.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 5, US HC p.450Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 4, US HC p.419Dancer's Lament, Chapter 8 The man-jackal was preternaturally strong, capable of casually tossing enormous stone blocks, and could run faster than a horse. His victims were often torn apart. Those who actually survived their initial wounds then faced the deep virulent infections his claws and bite inflicted.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 3 Chapter 5, US HC p.680 Seti folklore said he only came out to hunt at night.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 5, US HC p.450-451/453 In his D'ivers form, he numbered at least six wolves furred in tones of dun, grey, and speckled white. They stood taller at the shoulder than the wolves of the Laederon Plateau. The wolves communicated telepathically in the Malazan language. They were less bestial and less powerful than Ryllandaras' Soletaken form, and were capable of recognising and withdrawing from challenges of more capable opponents.House of Chains, Chapter 14, US SFBC p.502 In Deadhouse Gates Mappo and Icarium met him in an uneasy encounter in the Holy Desert. Ryllandaras appeared as a group of six desert wolves with bright blue eyes, while he hunted for the demon of Shadow Apt. Mappo called him the brother of Treach and spoke of a chasm between the brothers said to have occurred in Dal Hon or Li Heng. The Trell remembered Ryllandaras taking the shape of a D’ivers jackals at the time. Whether this referred to blood brotherhood or a form of friendship was not made clear. Violence was avoided when Ryllandaras recognized Mappo's traveling companion.Deadhouse Gates, Chapter 1, UK MMPB p.47 In Memories of Ice Treach recalled the First Empire Soletaken ritual that had unravelled and driven them mad. The most powerful Soletaken had been splintered into pieces, birthing the D'ivers. He, Ryllandaras, and Messremb were among the few to survive the T'lan Imass slaughter. In House of Chains Karsa Orlong met the D'ivers form of Ryllandaras in the mountains west of Raraku as a score of wolves, indicating he had grown in power since the events before. The D'ivers pursued Karsa for three days and four nights, running at a stretch but decided not to attack him, instead delivering a warning regarding two men (Icarium and Mappo) that he would meet later on in his travels if he continued on the same path. He asked Karsa to avoid a fight, since the world would come to regret it if one of the two men should fight in earnest.House of Chains, Chapter 14, US SFBC p.500-503/508 In The Bonehunters Heboric listed Ryllandaras among the First Heroes who had escaped the Slaughter by the T'lan Imass in the days of the First Empire. Others included Treach, Denesmet, Rikkter, and Tholen.The Bonehunters, Chapter 9, US SFBC p.404 In Return of the Crimson Guard One of the D'ivers forms of Ryllandaras, the one in Li Heng, was released outside the walls by its Malazan defenders, hoping to break the besiegement of the city by the Talian League.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 4, US HC p.419 During the ensuing massacre, League commander Choss ordered the gate to the city's Inner Round destroyed unleashing the man-jackal on the city's defenders as well. Ryllandaras was ultimately driven away from the city by city champion Rell and the use of Moranth munitions.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 5, US HC p.449-452 He escaped back to the Seti Plains where he continued killing travellers and poorly defended military companies. Ultimately, he was once again captured, this time by a group consisting of some of the Malazan Old Guard, including Urko Crust and Amaron and others such as Rell, Hurl, Temper, Braven Tooth and Liss. Liss used her Dawn Dance magic to compel Ryllandaras to appear and remain near a blazing fire while the others tried to kill him. Both Amaron and Rell fell during the battle, but not before Rell severely wounded Ryllandaras, forcing the creature through a magical gate created by Liss. In Dancer's Lament Ryllandaras lived on the Seti Plains and often attacked caravans which travelled across the region, leading to them needing extra protection around Li Heng.Dancer's Lament, Prologue, UK PB p.17 The Crimson Guard assisted Malkir Herengar, a Grisian prince who sought to slay the beast.Dancer's Lament, Chapter 2, UK PB p.95 During the siege of Li Heng, Shalmanat met Ryllandaras outside the city to ask for his help against the Kanese army. Ryllandaras told her that he had always loved her, but Shalmanat told him she was not seeking his regard. She reminded him that his habitat would be destroyed without her ban on trade routes and settlement on the Seti Plains. Reluctantly, he promised to clear the armies north of the river.Dancer's Lament, Chapter 8, UK PB p.219-221 Eventually, the beast slew Prince Malkir. The city mages of Li Heng took advantage of the Crimson Guard to lure the beast to a trap outside the city, telling him to take refuge from his pursuers in the tunnels under the city and to meet Shalmanat there. Once in the tunnel the mages attacked Ryllandaras and imprisoned him inside a stone coffin.Dancer's Lament, Chapter 15, UK PB p.371-375, 380-381 Shalmanat did not know beforehand and was not happy about it.Dancer's Lament, Chapter 16, UK PB p.412 In Kellanved's Reach Ullara of Li Heng was travelling north across the Seti Plains on her way to the Great Fenn Range when she was approached by Ryllandaras in his Soletaken form. He told Ullara that he had wanted a "look" at her as he had sensed that she had "touched upon the Beast Hold" - something Ryllandaras had not sensed for a "very long time". Ullara did not know what the White Jackal meant by the "Beast Hold", and the Soletaken realized that her use of the Beast Hold was "instinctive". Ryllandaras concluded that this made sense as the "Beast Hold was all about...instinct". After bowing his head to Ullara, Ryllandaras bounded away, having offered her what he referred to as her "due".Kellanved's Reach, Chapter 12, US TPB p.192/195-196 History Ryllandaras was originally a First Hero of the Human First Empire. He was also considered the eternal enemy of Li HengReturn of the Crimson Guard, Book 1 Chapter 3, UK PB p.137 though he was never able to breach its walls. He normally took the form of white jackals but on occasion took other forms, such as ay'tog, agkor, or desert wolves. He managed to evade the T'lan Imass slaughter of the shapeshifters at the end of the First Empire along with his friend Treach. The two later had a falling out.Memories of Ice, Chapter 7 One of the D'ivers forms of Ryllandaras (the man-jackal) was imprisoned by the Emperor and Dancer in Li Heng under the City Temple during the Malazan Empire's expansion. In that battle, Treach knocked Ryllandaras into a chasm before Kellanved drove Treach off. The man-jackal form of Ryllandaras was imprisoned inside the warded chasm by Emperor Kellanved, Dancer, and Tayschrenn. The wards included doors of cooper, silver, and iron as well as a chain mechanism with iron links as thick as a person's forearm. The links were jammed in place by The Protectress' own blades.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 4, US HC p.371/417Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 3 Chapter 2, US HC p.578 Other forms of Ryllandaras were seen while the man-jackal was imprisoned under Li Heng, leading to the theory that his mastery of shapeshifting allowed him to isolate the insanity of the First Empire's Soletaken and D'ivers (as seen in many other former First Heroes) into a single form that was then severed from the rest of Ryl's forms. This isolated form developed into the crazed man-jackal, while the rest of Ryllandaras maintained a powerful, sane, and communicative existance as D'ivers. Ryllandaras was worshipped by the Seti people for ten thousand years.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 2 Chapter 4, US HC p.373 Their White Jackal warrior society was likely founded in his honour. Speculation In Dancer's Lament there's a different version of Ryllandaras imprisonment than the one given in The Return of the Crimson Guard. In the former, Ryllandaras is imprisoned by Li Heng's city mages and the Crimson Guard, and in the latter he is imprisoned by the Malazans and Treach. A possible explanation could be that historians changed the events from Dancer's Lament to show the Malazans in a better light. Quotes Notes and references de:Ryllandaras Category:D'ivers Category:Males Category:Soletaken